[fab] Fedora branding discussion

[Greg DeKoenigsberg]

So after having discussed this with Max over lunch, here's an idea: toss 
the "branding" question over to Fedora marketing for brainstorming / 
discussion.

Here's the note I'd send:

===

Subject: Fedora derivates branding discussion

The Fedora board needs help with a policy decision.

As Fedora evolves, we'll be seeing more and more custom distributions that
are spun from the Fedora Universe of packages.  Kadischi-based Live CDs
are a good example.  We'd like to be able to allow these distributions to
use the Fedora name -- and we've got tentative buy-in from legal to do it
-- so long as the distros are built entirely from Fedora (Core+Extras)
packages.

So.  How should the Fedora brand be used in such cases?

Let's say, for example, that Rex Dieter builds a minimal Fedora distro
that has KDE and no GNOME -- and he wants to call it "KDExcellent".  He
also wants people to know that it's derived from official Fedora packages.
Should we let him call it:

    + Fedora KDExcellent?
    + KDExcellent, based on Fedora?
    + KDExcellent, a Fedora distribution?

Whatever policy we come up with now, we'll be stuck with for quite a 
while -- so we could use some help.  

We'll hold this discussion on fedora-marketing-list.  If you're interested 
in this discussion but you're not on fedora-marketing list, you can join 
here (link).

Thanks in advance for your ideas.

===

Thoughts?

--g

-------------------------------------------------------------
Greg DeKoenigsberg || Fedora Project || fedoraproject.org
Be an Ambassador || http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Ambassadors
-------------------------------------------------------------

On Tue, 18 Apr 2006, Rex Dieter wrote:

> Greg DeKoenigsberg wrote:
> 
> > If you build:
> >   * A Live CD with entirely Fedora (Core+Extras) content;
> >   * A distribution with entirely Fedora (Core+Extras) content;
> > 
> > ...then you should be entitled to use the Fedora name "somehow" to 
> > represent that content.
> > 
> > The "somehow" is not a legal exercise.  It's a BRANDING exercise.  We need 
> > to figure that out, propose it to Mark, and get legal's blessing.
> 
> +1  (I'll see if I can whip up something more concrete...)
> 
> > We need to answer some hypothetical questions, like for instance:
> 
> >   b. Does he need our approval, or is that approval implied
> >      by the fact that it's all Fedora components?
> 
> I'd say implied, if we go with your (IMO good) suggestion that 
> LiveCDs/distributions derived from entirely Fedora content be entitled 
> to use the Fedora name.
> 
> On the other hand, what about folks who include non-Fedora components? 
>   Should they be able to say something like "based on... Fedora" too? 
> I'm guessing, no, unfortunately.   I'd hate to have to forbid this kind 
> of thing outright, so what allowance(s) can be made for situations like 
> this?
> 
> -- Rex
> 
> _______________________________________________
> fedora-advisory-board mailing list
> fedora-advisory-board at redhat.com
> http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-advisory-board
>